Famous for sending one of the loudest messages in sports lore, Todd Bertuzzi delivered a much gentler one to Calgary Flames fans yesterday.

"Obviously I'm well aware I wasn't the most popular pickup in Calgary Flames history but at the same time, I think you have to give it a little bit of time and give me a chance," said the bruising winger at his introductory press availability alongside four other new Flames.

"Given the chance, I think I can prove myself and help this team out."

Have you forgiven Todd Bertuzzi for his on-ice attack of Steve Moore in 2004? Have your say in our forum.

Well part of me will never udnerstand why he desided to sock someone liek that but the past is the past. Sometimes you have to move on and forget about what you did or what happened.
A hockey fan, 2008-09-04 15:17:56

well there's a couple of points to be made about Big Bert.

The NHL is probably the toughest pro sport.

Bert's big and strong, thick in the head though. I think the league may have been a little light on what was obviously a deliberate intent to injure. To me what he did was way over the top.

My real issues were why was Bert on the last Olympic team? I think he was the worst player on the ice. Our forwards couldn't gain the zone (because Bert was pinning some little dude down)so many times....arghh I'm still pissed about it.

Crappy for me being a Flames fan....arrrrghh

Better bring real game Todd!
Hammertime, 2008-09-01 16:08:03

There are plenty worse things that have happened in sports and most of these things were quickly forgotten. Let's quit making an example of Bertuzzi and move on to today's important news.
mb, 2008-08-29 13:08:30

HockeyFan, your comments are proving how inappropriate Bertuzzi's actions were. "Bertuzzi went after Moore for a couple of games" means that you agree Bert was deliberately trying to get at Moore for much longer than he should have and indicates Bert had a personal vendetta against Moore. How many times do guys skate away from challengers? A lot. How many times do you see guys start to peel off toward the bench and then deliberately turn around, skate after a guy and then jump him with no warning? RARELY, because that kind of idiocy has no place in hockey. Vendettas have no place in hockey, but rivalries something like the old Probert vs. Crowder rivalry where both of them were willing to go at it regularly happen all the time. And you didn't answer my question about Scott Stevens who quite often deliberately aimed at heads during his career and no one jumped him like this. And if you think that a big guy jumping another guy from behind isn't trying to cause injury then just exactly what was he trying to do? I've never said what Moore did was right, all head shots need to be taken out of the game unless it's in a fight that both players are willing to participate in. Bertuzzi's reaction was way over the top - going after Moore for several games? If this is normal behaviour on the ice, it would happen every game, and it doesn't.And guys like Sean Avery, Scott Stevens, Darcy Tucker, Dion Phaneuf and the myriads of others who go after heads regularly would all be in the same place Steve Moore is right now. If this was a common occurrence, Todd wouldn't be having to ask Calgary fans to give him a chance and he wouldn't be naming Crawford in his legal drivel over 4 years later. And just because I don't agree with this kind of idiocy doesn't give you the right to question how long I've been following hockey, because it's been longer than Bertuzzi's been alive. Obviously you think that hockey should be played without rules - not realizing that it wouldn't be hockey anymore. You're entitled to be pro-Bertuzzi all you want, just make sure you apply that to your life when the big bully gets you fired from your job because you did something he didn't like. But you don't have the right to question how long I've been following hockey when it's clear that you think the rules and sportsmanship governing hockey need only be applied to certain players and not others. You've shown that you don't want to hear what anyone else has to say and you're not willing to debate this without personal attacks so I won't be even paying attention to your comments anymore.
chris, 2008-08-29 09:32:05

chris,

Bertuzzi went after Moore for a couple games, including the one in which Moore hit Naslund (as Naslund was already on his way to the ice). Moore was eager to lay the cheapshot on Naslund, but turtled every time Bertuzzi came near him. Finally, Bertuzzi just slugged him in frustration.

You new to hockey? If not, you know that the big guys on the team often protect the littler guys, particularly if those little guys are their best friends and the most talented players on the team.

The two key points are:

First, Bertuzzi meant to hit Moore and to fight Moore but certainly not to injure him as severely as he did. That was accidental. Bertuzzi is a big man and they both went down together in a heap where gravity and bad luck did more to hurt Moore than Bertuzzi ever thought to do.

Second, Moore could just as easily have injured Naslund to the same extent or more by trying to hit him (in the head, no less) as Naslund was already falling to the ice. Naslund fractured bones in his face and avoided more serious injury only by luck.

Quit patting yourself on the back for your embracing of platitudes like violence is bad and look at the thing from the wider perspective.

The media played the crap outta the Bertuzzi hit. Spend some time watching Moore aim for Naslund's head in a way that was much more deliberate than Bertuzzi was.
HockeyFan, 2008-08-28 15:55:15

HockeyFan, don't recall anyone trying to hit Scott Stevens from behind after he intentionally KO'd Paul Kariya near centre ice a few years ago. If it's OK for Stevens to break the rules, then it's OK for anyone else. There is NO JUSTIFICATION for what Bertuzzi did, it was a clear violation of the rules and any kind of sportsmanship or just plain decent human behaviour. The NHL ruled on the hit, Bert was plain out of line. Naslund is not the first player to be knocked out of the game with a concussion from and elbow and he won't be the last until the NHL stops lauding the likes of Stevens and Howe and applies the rules, and gets rid of thugs like Bertuzzi.
chris, 2008-08-28 11:50:20

Todd didn't do anything to me that I need to forgive him for.He needs all the armchair coaches to get off his back and let him get on with his career.The incident is over and done,it's history.We've all done dumb assed stuff at one time or other that we wished we could take back.He'll be great for the Flames and make them a tougher team to play against.I hope he doesn't lose his toughness because of the incident.
Johnny, 2008-08-28 10:09:31

Bertuzzi on Moore: cheap shot to the back of the head, match penalty and lengthy suspension justified. See similar offenses by, and subsequent discipline given to: Chris Simon, Tie Domi, Dale Hunter, Dino Cicciarelli, Alexander Perezhogin. And you could argue what Bertuzzi did was worse than all of those other offences.
Ben TO, 2008-08-28 10:03:56

Forgive him for being stupid? Yes!

Make him accountable for his actions? Yes!

Put him on probation? Yes!

Does he have a track record of excessive violent behaviour? Yes!

Forgive him for what else?
Vince in Ottawa, 2008-08-28 09:40:14

Bertuzzi made a serious mistake that will not and should not go away.

However, has anything been learned?

How many suspensions were given out to equally moronic actions that can end the careers of hockey players.

Hockey is a hard hitting game that if you cannot stand it, you need to get out.

But, there are a lot of Bertuzzi's out there taking the hard hitting to a level.

LIfetime suspensions will not come until a death occurs but that could be any game at any time because the Todd Bertuzzi type of actions are continuing.
John, 2008-08-28 09:25:05